Karl clinches spot as Western Conference All-Star coach

Late Thursday night, he became the second coach in Nuggets history to earn an All-Star coaching spot. Larry Brown (1977) was the first.

Karl clinched the coaching spot by virtue of Dallas’ loss to Phoenix on Thursday night. The Nuggets are assured of finishing with at least a tie for the second-best record in the conference, and since Lakers coach Phil Jackson cannot coach the game, having done so last season, Karl is in.

It is Karl’s fourth time coaching an All-Star game, and first since 1998.

Asked a week ago about the possibility, Karl said, “I think it’s an honor. It’s an arena that I’m glad I’ve done it. In a lot of ways I wish we could distribute it amongst all the coaches and give them the opportunity, because I think there’s a lot of great coaches that will never get to do that that should have that opportunity.”

It also means Karl will coach his star, Carmelo Anthony, in the game. When asked about being coached by Karl, Anthony joked “At least I know what time I’m coming in and out of the game.”

The Nuggets, going into tonight’s game against Oklahoma City, are 31-14, 3 ½ games behind the Lakers for first place in the Western Conference, and 1 ½ games ahead of the 30-16 Mavericks, who only have one more game this week, Saturday at home against Portland.

Denver clinched at least a tie, which means the coach who most recently walked the sidelines as an All-Star coach is eliminated. Dallas’ Rick Carlisle coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars in 2004 when he was with Indiana.

Karl, who is still without a contract extension, is the seventh-winningest coach in NBA history with 964 victories in 22 seasons. He has a streak of 17 straight seasons of .500 or better, and the Nuggets are the only team to never have finished below .500 since the inception of the Northwest Division in 2004-05.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.